MTA New York City Transit announces this coming weekend will be the first of five planned service suspensions on the line between Queensboro Plaza and Times Square this fall. There will be no subway service between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza from 11:45 p.m. Fridays through 5 a.m. Mondays during the weekends of October 11-14, October 18-21, October 25-28, November 8-11 and November 22-25. The and free shuttle buses will provide alternate service.

As we continue our installation of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC), we will need to suspend line subway service between Manhattan and Queens from time to time not only during this fall season but also in the years to come. This automated train control system will ensure the safe operation of trains using wireless data communication that will allow for more frequent service and the use of countdown clocks in the future. We realize this will be an inconvenience to our customers, but the work is necessary to modernize and improve the reliability of the line.

During the service suspensions, customers should use the or to travel between Manhattan and Queens. service will be extended to and from Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free shuttle buses will operate between Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza, making stops at Hunters Point Avenue and Court Square. In Manhattan, the 42nd Street shuttle will operate overnight throughout the weekend.

Customers may follow this link for on-line information: http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/building7update.htm. Remember that TripPlanner+ provides travel information that takes all service diversions into account. In addition, customers can receive customized subway diversion e-mails delivered to their inbox by signing up for the E-mail Subscription Program. Just log on to the NYC Transit homepage at http://www.mta.info/nyct and click on the Know Before You Go banner.